Samaritan

American  

[suh-mar-i-tn] / səˈmær ɪ tn /

noun

1. an inhabitant of Samaria.

2. good Samaritan.

3. any of the dialects of Aramaic spoken by the Samaritans in ancient Israel and until recently still spoken in Nablus.

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adjective

1. pertaining to Samaria or to Samaritans.

Samaritan British  

/ səˈmærɪtən /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Samaria

2. short for Good Samaritan

3. a member of a voluntary organization ( the Samaritans ) which offers counselling to people in despair, esp by telephone

4. the dialect of Aramaic spoken in Samaria

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adjective

1. of or relating to Samaria

Samaritan Idioms  

1. see good Samaritan.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Samaritanism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Samaritan

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English, from Late Latin plural adjective and noun Samarītānī “Samaritan, Samaritans” (from Greek Samarī́t(ēs) “a Samaritan,” derivative of Samáreia “Samaria”)

Example Sentences

His primary attorney Steve Haney contends that the fire was instead set off by people using fireworks, and that his client was a "Good Samaritan" who called 911 a total of 17 times.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

Not far from the Samaritan Clinic is Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, Southwest Georgia’s largest hospital — a nonprofit founded on the principle that patients should be treated regardless of their ability to pay.

From Salon • Jan. 4, 2026

He was, by all accounts, acting as a Good Samaritan, trying to break up the fight.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025

Miranda fashions himself equal parts good Samaritan, stuntman and documentary filmmaker.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2025

It was Mudd’s hope that George would act as a go-between, alerting the police to the fact that his Good Samaritan cousin might just have “accidentally” aided the men who killed Lincoln.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly